The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-18

psroscs ~ ~ uuo INV iodtect 10 Say n
charge Of III treatment or cruelty he W
been made against them, but occurs d.
custody. II Is useless to rely on the psn.
81 .if' Mach snS0''sS Oh. ,D sSa "pp!S
act to prav,is' against the H maitrs,,msni
Of conyicts.". An ample appropriation
should be made to enable tho superintend-
ent to discharge this duty. Tho prcsen,
efficient srrerintondcnt has fr, quentIy do
provision vas made by the iast Legislature
to detray his expenses. and he was withou,
authority In addition 10 accom- plish any
good. tueod less to say that any legisla-
ton, whether In conformity With these
the abuses known to exist. will 70, Give ny
hearty appro, nj and cooperation. Experi
ence and observation have conhrme d mo In
the opinion expressed In my 10 sugu raj ad-
dress two years ago rs to the policy o { leas.
Ing the penitentisry.
what Is and has been the Ana ucial
condition OF the pepiteptiary bl fore
and since you came into ofii 20, an, ia
present status2"
That question can only be an.
swersd In q general way. My IN.
formation Is that for some nine yea. ~
previous to the lease made to HAM.
ilton and Hoskins, and to Hamii
ton, Alleu 4 Co., the penitentiary had
cost the State probably $4,000. Ths,
Tor q similar number OF years since
the lease, II has cost nothing, but has
been q source OF some revenue. The
penitentiary was established about
fifty years prior 10 the commencement
OF my first term as Goyernor-iorty-
ak OF these years embraced the adj
mlnistrations OF q number Of Cover.
nors, none OF whom derived any
revenue whatever from this source.
From 1882 10 1885 inclusive, there was
paid into the treasury BY Hamilton,
Allen d %. S5s, l2l so In cash,
and repairs and improvements
20 the prisons amounting 10
362, 476.64, aud was due the State on
the LIST OF January, 1885, for the rent
OF 1885, $50, 400. l desire to say, In
this connection, that I have no doubt
that any OF my Democratic prede.
cessors would have done quite a. we'll
40 the foregoing, unless the same con.
ditions obtained from January 1, 1882,
10 January /, 1885. BY act Of the
Legislature OF 1886, the psnitentiary
and copvicts were leased 10 the Gulf
and Ship Island railroad, and Board
Of Control appointed, consisting Of
Mel ]. y. Sessions, OF Lincoln; Hon.
J Y. Kyle, Of Pamela. and Capt. wm.
Melville, OF Madison-all gentlemen
OF high character, eocially and politl.
cally. Those gentlemen, In my judg-
ment, have discharged the trust con.
hded to them faithfully, and any state.
ment made by them, touching their
acts, will be accepted as true"
EIPRsssIoss FROM oIHKR STATE ovyI.
cERs.
Daring the interview, MAI. Geo. NJ,
Govan, the handsome and Efficient
Secretary OF State, Capt. w. W.
Stone, "the best man In the bottoms"
State Auditor, and the Hon. w. l..
Hemingway, fat, jovial, but shrewd
and poliliS, who has been treasurer Of
the State foi twelve years, diopred
into the Governors Office. They were
informed by the Governor Of his In.
reviewers object, and In chorus
they chimed In, "Your Paper has
been basting rs right and left, and we
suppose yon have come to give us an.
other Dose"
"Well," muttered the good natured
Treasurer, II don't take either OF the
Memphis papers. don't read them,
consequently don't know Whist they
say,spd don't care q chinqua pin. OSs
thing thou. h / can say for their delrc.
tation and that IN / have been Treas.
urer Of this State for twelve years, and
l have not yet skipped TO Canada or
Mexico with 100000 Of the States
mopej." Then he chuekled 10 him.
self what en- honest man he was a.
compared with rennsas e's detailing
Treasurer, Marsh Polk.
Maj. Govan said: at Ia all nou-
senss 10 b. talking about q 'rins'
among the State officials. The press
is entirely mistaken. No far AZ my
Office 10 concerned, my books and &C.
counts are open for the worlds In.
spection, n they want IL The In.
sinuations that the gentlemen who
occupy the important positions 10
which the people elected them are In
q conspiracy 10 defraud the State ard
are the plant tools OF q corrupt ring,
10 utterly ialse and unjust. There 10
no ring here. There 10 nothing for q
ripg TO live on, let alone iatten on 10
this STATE, and every svenue which
opens 10 conupting Influences Ia 90
closely guarded by the law and the
waichfalness 81 the people that such
combination ~ 10 limited at 10 i'm.
poss ble."
Capt Stones remarks were In the
same strain, adding, that "thers was
not o,ly no necessity for an extra
session OF the Legislature, but tho
evils complainsd Of could be remedled
by the penitentiary Board OF Control,
10 whom the Legislature had enirust.
cd all the power 10 manage that inslb
tuition. He would not deny that there
had bsel abuses OF the conyicts under
the leasing system, therefore he was
opposed 10 II and believed the State
should manage the penitentiary d.
recily by its own officers"
All OF the gentlemen deeply de-
plored the unfortunate state OF affairs
which beset the capitol Of the State
aud has caused 90 much excitement
throughout the State and thai the
guilty parties should be punished 10
the full measure OF the Law. II wss
extremely unfortunate that the mat.
ter which was only for tho courts
should be magnlHsd into State issue
and cause 20 much bitter elimination